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  • Writer's pictureLet's Biologue!
    • Jan 8
    • 3 min read

Life in a pack

Origin of a pack


Most packs originate from the union between a male and a female, previously solitary, who reproduce and raise offspring. Thus, a pack is made up of related individuals and, in general, its size is between 2 and 15 wolves, considering that a female can give birth to 1 to 11 puppies per litter. Most include only the parents and their descendants, but less related individuals can also be found in the pack – aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, grandparents and grandchildren, and there may even be the presence of unrelated individuals.


The phenomenon of group dispersal can also occur, in which 2 or more individuals abandon their pack and join unrelated wolves that already have a designated territory. Furthermore, the situation of pack splitting is also possible and, in this case, 2 or more wolves abandon the original pack to establish a new territory on their own.


Generally, wolves leave their original pack when they reach 2/3 years of age after they are ready to mate. Lone wolves can travel distances of up to 800 km before finding a suitable area to establish their territory.

The tendency to abandon the original pack is explained by the increasing likelihood of conflict between individuals of the same sex as younger individuals develop. This transition of wolves between different packs guarantees the genetic variability of populations, contributing to their long-term resilience and subsistence.

 

Pack organization


Traditionally, people believe that packs are led by a dominant couple, an “alpha” male and female. Then follow the remaining adults, the “middle class” made up of the “betas” and, finally, the lower class, corresponding to the “omegas”.


However, most studies that have contributed to this view have been based on captive populations, often composed of unrelated individuals who are forced to interact within the limits of captivity.


In fact, in wild packs, the highest dominance status corresponds to the breeding pair, made up of the only wolves in the pack that generally reproduce, but this hierarchical position is determined simply by the fact that the parents are dominant over their offspring and, for the young wolves, claiming this status would imply intense competition between family members.


Furthermore, being one of the breeding pair is such a responsibility, so vital that the death of the breeding male or female can cause the dissolution of the entire pack.

 


Advantages of living in a pack


  1. Wolves are animals that hunt in group, which gives them the advantage of being able to kill large prey that allows them to feed several individuals. This is a complicated task as only 8 out of 100 cervids attacks are successful;

  2. Living in a pack favors the possession of large territories, since there are several individuals that can actively defend the territory, preventing its invasion by other wolves;

  3. Wolves are one of the few species in which alloparenting occurs – the provision of care to their offspring by wolves who are not their parents. In wolves, this care includes providing food, protecting cubs while parents hunt, and imparting knowledge about hunting techniques. Wolf cubs depend exclusively on their mother's milk for the first month of their lives. Alloparenting has been documented in only 2% of mammals, 9% of birds, and <1% of all reptile, amphibian, and invertebrate species.


Hugo Anselmo

Ecologist biologist


References


Wolf Ecology Basics (U.S. National Park Service). (sem data). Nps.gov. https://www.nps.gov/articles/life-of-a-wolf.htm

Alfa, beta ou ómega: que lobo és tu? (2013). RTP Ensina. https://ensina.rtp.pt/artigo/loboiberico_1/

O Lobo-Ibérico em Portugal. Situação no Leste da Beira Interior. Grupolobo.pt. https://www.grupolobo.pt/images/Documentos/Brochura_MED-WOLF_online.pdf




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